Rising Suns
by Tahiri Solo
Summary: Tahiri is sent away from the fighting in NJO, and feels as if her whole world is falling apart. Her best friend helped send her away, and she can't understand why. But there is something she doesn't realize . . . . Can she and Anakin bridge the time and d
1. Breaking News

RISING SUNS   
CHAPTER ONE ~ BREAKING NEWS  
By Tahiri Solo  
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DISCLAIMER: All the characters, places and such mentioned in this story are property of Lucasfilm. I own nothing and am in no way making any money off of this story. Also, if this story bears any resemblance to stories written by others, it is purely coincidental. No infringement is intended.  
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Tahiri Veila was siting on her bunk in the Errant Venture, pondering the universe - or more specifically, why her best friend in the galaxy had kissed her only a few weeks   
before - when she heard a knock on her door.  
  
"C'mon in," she called, and was happy when Tionne walked in. Tionne had been a mother figure to her ever since her early days at the Jedi academy.  
  
"Hi," Tahiri said with a smile. "What's going on?"  
  
Tionne did not return her smile. Her eyes were grave as she said, "Tahiri, Kam, Master Skywalker and I all need to talk to you. It's important."  
  
Tahiri's first thought was to wonder if they had found out about what she and Anakin had been doing in that locker, but she quickly pushed that thought away. Corran wouldn't have told - would he?  
  
But from the look on Tionne's face, she knew it was something serious. "What is it? What's going on?" she asked in alarm.   
  
"Come on," Tionne said softly. "We all need to talk to you."  
  
Tahiri suddenly wanted Anakin with her, to hold her hand and calm her down. She knew something was very wrong and she was scared. "Can Anakin come too?" she asked softly.  
  
"Sure, if you want him to," Tionne said. "Go and get him, then meet me in Master Luke's quarters."  
  
Tahiri nodded mutely, then ran off to Anakin's room.   
  
She reached his room about a minute later, and she rapped on his door, shifting nervously on her bare feet.  
  
Anakin poked his head out of her door, and his eyes widened when he saw the panicked look in her eyes. "Tahiri, what's wrong?"  
  
"I don't know," she responded softly. "Tionne just came into my room and told me that she and Kam and Master Skywalker need to talk with me. They say it's urgent. And I'm scared," she added in a whisper. "I wanted you to come with me."  
  
Anakin stepped out of his room and gave her a hug. "It'll be okay," he murmured. "It can't be that bad."  
  
"What if they found out what we did in that locker?"  
  
Anakin smiled. "Well, if they did, then we tell them the truth. That yes, we did kiss."  
  
"But that would be so embarrassing," Tahiri moaned. "And what if we get in trouble for it?"  
  
"I won't deny that it would be embarrassing," Anakin agreed. "But I still don't regret having done that, and nothing they can do to us would ever make me regret it."  
  
Tahiri smiled. "Good. Let's go and get this over with, then."  
  
Anakin smiled reassuringly at her, and they walked off.  
  
A few minutes later, they were seated in Master Skywalker's quarters. Tahiri shifted nervously, and Anakin squeezed her hand, sending her reassurance with the Force.  
  
"What is this all about?" Anakin asked, hoping to get this over with soon. He didn't like seeing Tahiri upset.  
  
"As you know, Kam and I have determined that we can begin moving Jedi to that planet we located," Tionne began.  
  
"And we are sending the first shipment of Jedi very soon," Luke continued. "We'd like you to go with them."  
  
"To help?" Tahiri asked.  
  
"No," Kam said gently, "to live there. You're too young to help with the fighting Tahiri, and this way would be best for everyone."  
  
Tahiri's mouth dropped open. "You can't be serious." She searched their faces for some sign that this was all just a sick joke.  
  
She found none.  
  
Tahiri's heart nearly stopped. "No. No, no, no, I'm not going."  
  
"You have to," Tionne said, as if trying to rationalize with her. "It wouldn't be safe for you to stay here."  
  
"You don't really have a choice," Luke said, looking earnestly into her eyes. "I'm sorry, I truly am. I know you want to stay here. But this is the best thing for everyone involved, and someday you will see that."  
  
Tahiri was nearly rendered speechless - for her, an amazing thing. She turned to Anakin, her last hope. He would get her out of this. He had to. He would. He had never failed her before.  
  
"Anakin?" she asked in a tiny whisper.  
  
Without any warning, Anakin suddenly pulled her into his arms and held her close against his chest. He then kissed her softly, right there in the middle of the room, with everyone watching.   
  
When he pulled away, Tahiri could plainly see the pain in his eyes. "Tahiri," he said in a strained voice, "don't think I don't want you with me, because I do. More than you could imagine. But maybe it would be best if you went. You'd be safe there."  
  
Tahiri's eyes widened, feeling more betrayed than she had ever been in her entire life. She pulled back out of Anakin's arms. "I should have known." She hurled the words at him, watching him flinch with satisfaction. "All that went on in that locker - it was all just an act. You never really did care about me, and you never did want me to be with you. Well, I will have you know, Anakin Solo, that I wanted to be with you more than anything else in the galaxy. But since you seem to disagree with me, I'll be packing. Kam, Tionne, I'll be ready as soon as you are."  
  
With that, she ran out of the room before anyone could see her tears.  
  
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Tahiri was in her room, packing, and shaking uncontrollably.   
  
Why had Anakin done that to her? Why?   
  
She fought against tears, but in the end, they won the battle. Tahiri threw herself facedown on her bed and wept.  
  



	2. Leaving

RISING SUNS  
CHAPTER TWO ~ LEAVING  
By Tahiri Solo  
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DISCLAIMER: All the characters, places and such mentioned in this story are property of Lucasfilm. I own nothing and am in no way making any money off of this story. Also, if this story bears any resemblance to stories written by others, it is purely coincidental. No infringement is intended.  
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The next day, Tahiri was aboard Kam and Tionne's ship, about to leave her entire life behind.   
  
Anakin had tried to talk to her constantly the day before, but she had refused to listen to him. She didn't need to be hurt anymore than she already was. Her heart felt as if was being ripped in two.  
  
It had been bad enough when the Yuuzhan Vong had her and told her she was one of them, then she had found out that she wasn't, Tahiri reflected. This was Anakin. The person she would have trusted with her life, who knew her like no one else in the universe.  
  
The person she thought she had fallen in love with.  
  
Why did he have to do this? Tahiri thought, inwardly raging, though her features appeared calm. Why couldn't he have just let me stay with him where I belonged?  
  
Why?  
  
Tahiri felt tears sting her eyes, and she rapidly tried to blink them away.   
  
But when the ship took off, she could hold them back no longer.  
  
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Anakin watched Tahiri's ship leave, tears stinging his eyes. He knew he'd done the right thing in telling her to leave. He'd hurt her, he was certain of that, but she hadn't given him a chance to explain that he wanted to keep her safe more than anything.  
  
Anakin's throat tightened. If anything ever happened to her . . .   
  
Yes, he had done the right thing by telling her to go.  
  
But that didn't help ease the pain. He was going to miss her horribly.  
  
He stared after the ship until it disappeared into hyperspace, and then some.  
  
"I love you, Tahiri," he whispered. "I hope you realize that."  
  
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She didn't realize it.   
  
Tahiri, for the first several weeks, brooding constantly. She worried Tionne, because the older Jedi had no idea what to do for her. The girl was increasingly moody and depressed, where she had once been cheerful, and was often heard late at night sobbing in her room.  
  
Anakin sent Tahiri messages constantly, but she replied to none of them. She didn't think he deserved it, after what he did to her.   
  
But she still missed him.  



	3. Rising Suns

RISING SUNS   
CHAPTER THREE: RISING SUNS  
By Tahiri Solo  
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DISCLAIMER: All the characters, places and such mentioned in this story are property of Lucasfilm. I own nothing and am in no way making any money off of this story. Also, if this story bears any resemblance to stories written by others, it is purely coincidental. No infringement is intended.  
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A YEAR LATER:  
  
Anakin was worried. After a year, Tahiri had still replied to none of his messages. None. And he had sent her dozens.   
  
He knew she was okay - he had asked Kam. Frequently. He wanted to go and see her more than anything, but the war with the Vong kept him quite busy. Every time he turned around, he was being sent somewhere else to fight them.   
  
"She must hate me," Anakin groaned softly to himself. "Oh, Sithspawn, why couldn't she just see that I didn't want to see her die like Chewie?"  
  
"All she can see is that you let her leave," Jaina said, walking up from behind him. "When girls are hurt like that, sometimes that's all they can see. Trust me. I speak from experience."   
  
Jaina blinked for a moment, looking almost as though she were fighting tears. But before Anakin could ask if she was okay, she hugged him. "She'll come around eventually," Jaina said.  
  
"I just wish I could go and see her. If the Sithspawned Vong stopped attacking long enough for me to . . . ."  
  
Jaina pulled back with a grin. "That's what I wanted to talk to you about. Uncle Luke is sending you and Jacen on a mission to Yavin 4. Seems the shapers have gotten some new Jedi, and you're going to rescue them. I'm going too, with the Rogues."  
  
"Oh, great," Anakin said sardonically. "I get to listen to my brother's endless pontification."  
  
Jaina laughed. "It'll be worth it. Once you have the captives, you're taking them back to Kam and Tionne. You'll get to see Tahiri and explain things to her in person."  
  
Anakin's eyes lit up. "Are you kidding?"  
  
"Nope. You'd better be thinking what to say to that girlfriend of yours."  
  
Anakin blushed, and Jaina chuckled. "Corran told Mara about the little locker incident, and she told me. It's not like it's a big secret. It happened over a year ago - half the ship knows."  
  
Anakin halfheartedly glared at her, then said softly, "What if she won't listen to me?"  
  
"She will," Jaina said firmly. "Eventually. You have to believe that."  
  
"I love her so much," Anakin murmured. "She means the galaxy to me."  
  
"That's pretty obvious," Jaina remarked quietly. "It's obvious how much you care about her."  
  
"Then why can't she see it?"  
  
Jaina shrugged. "I don't know. You'll figure it out. Now, I have to go and talk with Uncle Luke. See you later."  
  
With that, Jaina walked off, leaving her little brother to wonder what in the worlds he was going to say when he saw Tahiri again.  
  
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A few weeks later, Anakin landed his XJ Wing in the makeshift docking bay Kam had constructed, his facial expression torn between being disgusted, anxious, and hopeful.  
  
Kam and Tionne were there to meet him. "Where's your brother?" Tionne demanded sharply.   
  
Anakin snorted. "I have no idea. Just as we were about to leave Yavin 4, he says he senses someone's presence back at the Vong camp and runs off to save them. He would not tell me who it was. And we had rescued all the Jedi before. I don't know what Jacen thought he was doing. But he wouldn't let me talk him out of it, and he made me leave. He said he'd be back as soon as he rescued her - whoever 'her' is."  
  
Kam looked thoughtful. "Well, there's certainly nothing we can do now, but Jacen had better be careful, or that Warmaster will have his head."  
  
Anakin couldn't restrain himself any longer. "Where's Tahiri?" he blurted.  
  
"She doesn't want to see you," Tionne warned.  
  
"I don't care. Where is she?"  
  
Tionne sighed and gave him directions to her quarters. Anakin nodded to them both, then rushed off.  
  
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A few minutes later, Anakin knocked nervously on Tahiri's door. His heart was pounding. After over a year, he was going to see Tahiri again.  
  
But would she want to see him?  
  
A few anxious minutes later, the door swung open, revealing a very pretty young woman. Her skin was flawless porcelain, her hair long and golden, and her huge emerald eyes blinked up at him, first registering surprise, then anger.  
  
"How dare you come here?" Tahiri growled. "How dare you, after what you did to me?"  
  
"Tahiri, I -"  
  
"Anakin Solo, listen to me. I have no idea why you decided to play with my heart like you did, after we'd been best friends for years, but believe me, you can't imagine how much you hurt me. You meant so much to me, Anakin. I thought you cared about me too, and that maybe I was someone you could have romantic feelings for. When you kissed me, it made me so happy. But then, you just send me off because you don't think I can take care of myself. You think I'm just a little girl. I'm not stupid, no matter what you think. You can't just use me like you did and expect me not to care, or not even to notice." Her voice was cold and hard.  
  
Anakin listened to her in shock, listening to her. His heart wrenched in his chest - how could she think that? He loved her more than anything else in the universe! She went on and on, telling him how he used her and didn't really love her at all.  
  
Finally, he couldn't take it anymore.  
  
Anakin walked over to her, then without any warning, grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her vehemently.  
  
When he finally pulled away, he did not let go of her, but whispered, "Don't you ever think that I don't love you, because I do. I love you more than anything else in this entire galaxy, and you have to believe that. I would never, ever use you, Tahiri. I would give my life to keep you safe. I'm protective because I love you, not because I don't think you can take care of yourself! I've seen so many people die, Tahiri. I am not letting you be one of them."  
  
He stroked her cheek, eyes intent on hers. "Do you understand that? I love you, Tahiri. More than life itself."  
  
Tahiri didn't seem able to reply. She merely stared up at him - he wasn't certain what she was thinking.  
  
Anakin pulled her close again, and carefully caressed her lips with his, telling her in more certain terms than words alone that he loved her, and would always love her.  
  
Tahiri stiffened in surprise - she could feel Anakin's love for her washing over her in a wave, and she began to cry. He did love her. She wasn't just a silly little girl to him.  
  
She wasn't able to do much more than thread her fingers through his hair and tremble in his arms. Why had she ever thought he didn't love her? It was so obvious now that he did.  
  
Anakin brought her even closer to him, feeling a powerful need to be as close to her as possible. He'd missed her so much . . .   
  
Tahiri clung to him fiercely, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him back.   
  
Finally, after several minutes, Anakin pulled back. "Before I forget," he murmured. "I brought you a belated fifteenth birthday gifts. Two of them, actually. I would have sent them to you, but I was afraid you wouldn't open them, and plus I just recently found this one."  
  
He handed her a small, velvet-covered box. Tahiri looked at it and then at him curiously, until he grinned and said, "Tahiri, open it, will you?"  
  
She grinned back and lifted the lid of the box, gasping when she saw what was inside.  
  
It was her necklace. The one Sliven had given her, with her parents' thumbprints.  
  
"Anakin, what - how?" she stammered, at a loss for words. Tears welled up in her eyes. "How did you get this? I lost it when the Yuuzhan Vong had me . . ."  
  
Anakin smiled. "Uncle Luke sent me and Jacen to Yavin 4 recently. I found it there and brought it back for you. I knew you'd missed it."  
  
She was now crying in earnest. "Anakin, I - thank you." She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.  
  
Anakin laughed, taking the necklace from her and slipping it over her head. "There's something else." He reached into a pocket and withdrew another box, almost identical to the first one.  
  
"This is too much," Tahiri protested.   
  
Anakin kissed her forehead. "That's my business. Now open it."  
  
Tahiri blushed and did so.  
  
And gasped again.  
  
It was another necklace, one made out of a fine type of glass or crystal, she couldn't tell. There was a pattern resembling a Tatooine desert at night, but two tiny corusca gems appeared over the dunes, looking for all the worlds like a sunrise. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen, and she cried harder.  
  
"This must have cost a fortune!"  
  
Anakin chuckled. "And that is my business too. The corusca gems - they represent the two of us." He blushed, and Tahiri silenced him with another kiss.  
  
She didn't need him to explain. She knew without a doubt what the necklace symbolized.   
With the Yuuzhan Vong, the future was so dark and uncertain, but their love shone brightly in the Force like two rising suns.  
  



	4. Epilogue

EPILOGUE  
  
Anakin and Tahiri were walking hand in hand, exploring parts of the planet. Tahiri, having already been there for a year, showed Anakin her favorite places.  
  
As they were walking through a small meadow, Tahiri suddenly tugged on Anakin's hand. "Come on," she said, eyes shining. "There's the prettiest little place around here, by a   
river . . . you have to see it."  
  
Anakin laughed and allowed her to drag him off. They soon reached, just as she had said, a little place by a river. The river was wide and clear; its water moved sedately along. Trees surrounded the area, and it was quite beautiful.  
  
"I've always thought it was so romantic here," Tahiri said softly. "I -"  
  
But she stopped short when she realized that they were not the only ones there. A little farther down, two figures stood, apparently not all at aware of Anakin and Tahiri's presence.  
  
Jacen Solo held a beautiful red haired woman in his arms that Tahiri thought she recognized. The two were holding each other close, her head on his shoulder. Jacen stood half a head taller than the girl now.  
  
They heard the girl laugh softly. "You know what this reminds me of? I can't see rivers now without thinking of our first kiss."  
  
Jacen laughed. "I can't either. I've missed you so much . . ."  
  
She lifted her head to look into his eyes. "I know. I've missed you too. If my grandmother hadn't made us break up . . . ." She trailed off, her voice sounding choked. "I've never been so miserable. I need you."  
  
His reply was so low that Anakin couldn't hear it, but when the young couple began kissing, Anakin decided to give his brother some privacy. He tugged on Tahiri's hand until she followed him.  
  
"I thought they'd broken up," she said as soon as they were out of earshot. "And I thought your brother was still on Yavin 4."  
  
"I thought so too." Anakin shrugged. "I guess not. And I guess that's who he had to stay and rescue. And supposedly her grandmother made them break up . . . I'd been wondering what was going on with them."  
  
Tahiri grinned, her eyes twinkling mischievously. "This planet certainly seems like a good place for budding romance," she teased, grabbing a handful of Anakin's shirt and pulling him close to her.  
  
They kissed, loving the feel of . . . completeness . . . that came from being together. They knew that nothing, nothing, in the galaxy would be able to separate them. As long as they had each other, everything would always be all right.  
  
They were soulmates, and they both knew it.   
  
  
  
A/N: That was my first chaptered thing. And I know I didn't clarify exactly who the girl was whom Jacen was kissing, but it should be pretty obvious. If it's not, go read the YJK series. Let's just say that I wanted to die when I was reading Vector Prime and Jacen was in a tiny little ship with some half-naked chick . . . But I won't get into that now. If I do, I can rant and rave for hours about how much I hate that, and how sick it was . . .etc, etc.  
  



End file.
